Liquid and air contact column for cleaning air and gases



Get; 14, 1941. I E, F|$HER 2,259,033

LIQUID AND AIR CONTACT COLUMN FOR CLEANING AIR AND GASES Filed Feb. 151939 DIRTY NR mus-\- INVENTOR Patented Oct. 14, 1941 LIQUID AND AIRCONTACT COLUMN FOB CLEANING A!!! AND GASES Ernest F. Fisher, Boston,

Application February 15, 1939, Serial No. 253,522

My invention, which is a continuation-in-part of my application SerialNo. 250,101, flied Januany 10, 1939 relates to improvements in liquidand air contact columns wherein air or other gases are treated to removesolid particles of matter, the object being attained by subjecting airto be treated to the continuous scrubbing action of water orv otherliquid which is set in violent agitation by swirling air and caused towet large suriace areas upon which the solid particles are caused toimpinge out of the air current thus leaving the air clean.

Ibis-invention consists in the novel features of construction more fullyset forth in the specifications and pointed out in the claims. Theprlncipfl object oi my invention is to provide a more pre wetting of thedust par- I v.ticles carried by the incoming air as it enters the unitand before the, dust laden air receives its final contact with theliquid.

Another object of my invention is to more :eflectively. wet the vanesthrough which the dust annular flange 24 which removes more particles byimparting an increased centrifugal force to them as they pass below it.The air with the remaining fine dust swirls in chamber i'i below axialtube T and thence upward through axial tube T. Due to the high angularvelocity of the swirling air through tube T, much of the fine dustimpinges because of centrifugal force, against the inner wall of tube Twhich is wetted by water from the baflie, or diaphragm, 6- supplied bypipe [6 at the top of the column.

Continuing its spiral swirl the air with the remaining fine dust isguided outwardly toward the wall 2 by the curved vanes l8 carrying withit the water falling ed the edge of liquid distributing baflie 5 andwetting the vanes l8 and the adjacent wall 2. In the claims I will referto this actionby using the word windward to indicate the edge of thecurved vane which is first contacted by the gas and water in its passagethrough the column. Fine dust that impinges on these wetted surfaces iswashed down down with the downcoming water or other liquid.

A further object of my invention is to provide a system of guide vanes,impingement plates,

baiiies and enclosing walls that imposes the least resistance to theflow of air as it swirls in a continuous path without change ofdirection.

Other advantages of my invention will be better apparent from a detaileddescription in connection with the accom anying drawing in which! Figure1 is a vertical cross sectional ele- 'vation of the column taken on line|-l of Figure 8. Figure 2 is a plan section taken on the line 2-2 ofFigure 1. Figure 3 is an enlarged detail I section showing anotherconstruction-I employ or adjacent the inlet it. As the air swirls aroundthe annular space, water which falls into the annular space from pipesP, is thrown against the adjacent walls 2' and wall of axial tube Tagainst which the heavy dust impinges and is washed down into conicalchamber l2, past the and that is eliminated from the air stream by thescrubbing action of the water, is washed down into sludge chamber I2 andthence drains out through outlet 2!.

The clean air passes upward through spray eliminating plates 22 whereany solid particles of water impinge and drop down into chambertherebelow, thence to suction fan not shown but connected with outlet Itof chamber i which forms with cover i9 the top of chamber 2. If it isdesired, clean water can be circulated through the supply pipe is andthus the cleaned air is uncontaminated. The water that is used in supplypipes P may be the dirty or contaminated water that has been separatedfrom the sludge. Thus it is to be noted that there are two separateliquid supply means it and P.

The vertical clearances 8' between the ring bailies 20, 20 and 20' arejust sufficient to permit the sheets of water falling from edges ofliquid distributing bailie 5. ring baiile 6. liquid distributing batfle5 and ring baiiie 6 to flow therebetween and to effectually seal thisclearance so no air will bypass therethrough.

With the construction as shown, the liquid distributing baflle 5 withits curved vanes It and the liquid distributing baflie I can beassembled corresponding battle which supports the adjacentswirl-producing vanes may also be considered as a unitary structure ordisc baille assembly.

Having now particularly \described my invention and its manner ofoperation, I declare that what I claim is:

l. A gas cleaning apparatus comprising a column provided with atangential inlet for gases to be cleaned at the bottom and an outlet forcleaned gases at the top, a substantially horizontal diaphragm providedwith a central opening attached to the inner wall of the column betweensaid inlet and said outlet, a substantially horizontal baille meansprovided with a central opening spaced from the column supported abovesaid diaphragm, a plurality of circularly disposed verticalwhirl-producing vanes spaced from the column extending between saiddiaphragm and said baflie means, a substantially horizontal imperiorateliquid distributing plate disposed to close said central opening to theflow of gas while permitting the distribution oi washing liquid to saidopening supported so that its outer edge lies just below the inner edgeof said baiile means and above said diaphragm, and means to supplyliquid to said distributing means.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1 in which the baille means overlaps thedistributing plate.

3. A gas cleaning apparatus comprising a column provided with atangential inlet for gases to be cleaned at the bottom and an outlet forcleaned gases at the top, a substantially horizontal diaphragm providedwith a central opening attached to the inner wall of the column betweensaid inlet and said outlet, 9. battle means provided with a centralopening spaced from the column supported with its outer edge above theinner edge of said diaphragm, a substantially horizontal imperforateliquid distributing plate disposed to close said central opening to theflow of gas while permitting the distribution of washing liquid to saidopening supported closely below said baiile means, a plurality ofcircularly disposed vertical whirl-producing vanes spaced from thecolumn extending between said baille means and said diaphragm, and meansto supply liquid to the bottom and an outlet for cleaned gases at thetop, a substantially horizontal ring baiile attached at its outer edgeto the inner wall of the casing between said inlet and said outlet,'asubstantially horizontal disc banle assembly spaced from the casingsupported above said ring bailie, a plurality oiwhirl-producing vanesextending between said disc baflle' assembly and said ring baiiie, meansfor supplying liquid to the upper surface of said disc baiiie assembly,and an opening provided in said disc baflle assembly contiguous to theinner edges of said vanes so arranged that portions of said liquid flowtherethrough and copiously wet the surfaces of said vanes.

6. Apparatus as in claim 5, in which a substantially vertical tube,spaced from said casing, is dependent from said ring baiiie.

7. A gas and liquid contact apparatus comprising in combination acylindrical casing provided with a tangential inlet for gases to becleaned at the'bottom and an outlet for cleaned gases at the top, asubstantially horizontal ring baiiie attached at its outer edge to theinner wall of the casing between said inlet and said outlet, asubstantially horizontal disc bame assembly spaced from the casingsupported above said ring baflle, another substantially horizontal, discbaiile assembly spaced from the casing supported below said ring baflle,a plurality of circularly disposed whirlproducing vanes extendingbetween said ring baflie and the disc baflle assembly above it, aplurality of circularly disposed. whirl-producing vanes extendingbetween said ring baine and said disc bame assembly below it, means tosupplyliquid to the upper-surface of the upper disc baiile assembly, anopening provided in the surface of said upper disc baiiie assembly,contiguous "to the inner edges of the first group of vanes, an openingprovided in the surface of said ring baiiie, contiguous to the outeredges of the second group of vanes, both of said openings being soarranged that portions of said liquid drain through said openings andcopiously wet the surfaces of said vanes.

8. A gas and liquid contact apparatus comprising in combination acylindrical casing provided with a tangential inlet for gases to becleaned at the bottom and an outlet for cleaned gases at the top, asubstantially horizontal disc baille assembly spaced from the casingsupported between said inlet and said outlet, a substantially horizontalring bame attached at its outer edge to the inner wall of the casingabove said disc battle assembly, a substantially horizontal ring battleattached at its outer edge to the inner wall of the casing below saiddisc bafiie assembly, a plurality of circularly disposed whirl-producingflnea ex-. tending between said disc baiiie assembly and said ringbafiie above it, a plurality of circularly disposed whirl-producingvanes extending between said disc bailie assembly and said ring baillebelow it, means to; supply liquid to the upper surface of the upper ringbaflie, an opening provided in the surface of said upper ring baillecontiguous to the outer edges of the first group of vanes, an openingprovided in the surface of said disc baine assembly contiguous to theinner edges of the second group ,of vanes. both of said openings beingso arranged that portions of said liquid flow through said openings,thereby copiously wetting the surface of said vanes.

9. Apparatus as in claim 8, in which a substantially vertical tubespaced from the casing is de endent from the lower ring baiile.

ERNEST F. FISHER.

